Boer War Memorial

Near the Minster rises an ornate gothic revival octagon honoring the York men who died in  second Boer War (1899-1902).  A mere 500,000 British troops faced a mighty force of 88,000 from the two Boer republics.  It was the Brits most costly war since they helped whip Napoleon nearly a century earlier.   In those days, the British economy (and most others) depended upon gold; the Boers controlled the largest gold-mining complex outside their control.  (You were wondering what we fought about before we all got dependent upon oil?)  The Boers eventually resorted to guerilla warfare and the British responded with scorched-earth tactics and concentration camps which eventually won the war and South Africa's independence.  Welcome to the Commonwealth!  Or, your former wealth is now part of our commons.

 

The memorial was erected in 1905 and contained the names of all those from York who died in the war.  Later it attracted a rowdy crowd of street drinkers and fell into neglect.  A volunteer group restored it around 2000.  Still vandalism and graffiti plague the statue.   Here's a somewhat foggy close-up:

 

 

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Created on 15 October 2006
For more narrative on York, see our summary web page by clicking here.

 


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